OIA's own Study Abroad Assistant Director Roger Adkins partcipated in a Q/A with Around the O, discussing his recent trip to the UK and the brand new Harry Potter Program in London.

Where in the world were you?
I was in the United Kingdom, staying in London through July 31, and then Edinburgh, Scotland, for the final week of this program.

What work were you doing there?
I was leading the "Fantasy on the Fringe" study abroad program, also known as "Harry Potter in the UK," and teaching its two courses, one in fantasy literature, and one in the folklore and pop culture of the UK. My work involves classroom instruction but also includes the orchestration of several dozen site visits, excursions, events and guest speakers. For example, we saw "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre; heard from a scholar from King's College London about barriers facing women in the UK film industry; visited JK Rowling's childhood hometown of Tutshill, England, together with Chepstow Castle and Tintern Abbey; and explored exhibits at the John Soane Museum, the Institute for Contemporary Art, the Wellcome Collection and the Tate Modern – and those are just a few examples! My unique task in this setting was to ensure that our experiential learning and our traditional (classroom/reading/writing) learning were coordinated, and to work with the wonderful site staff here to keep it all running smoothly.

To read the full interview, visit Around the O.